For centuries meditators have grappled with the Famous Five "Usual Suspects," otherwise referred to as "hindrances" in meditation: sleepiness, agitation, anger, craving, and doubt... Sound familiar? Yes, this is much of the terrain we work with, even those of us who have significant experience. In these times of plague, some of these Usual Suspects might in fact be unusually intense.
In this talk, where we also made playful use of puppets, we share some ways of working with these five tricky friends. We explore how taking obstacles and distractions on to the path could in fact enliven and strengthen our practice.
